I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: Chloe under the influence of alcohol is an interesting experience because it seems to magnify all her already boisterous personality traits. And makes her more apt to shout everything apparently.


**Disclaimer: **Characters you know don't belong to me. Title and references to the song "Closing Time" belong to Semisonic

**A/N: **So this story is kind of a story that started as an idea at Point A and then ended up something different at Point D. Or something. Original influences for this story can be credited to rabidnar and to the wonderful and highly entertaining _Glee_ fic "I'm Right Here Baby" by smc-27. Also I feel like credit has to go to the wonderful Melissa7187 who took it upon herself to "cajole" me into pushing through my writer's block.

**"I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home"**

This is not where Aubrey saw herself ending up. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a plan if you ask her. Visualizing the future, giving yourself attainable goals and striving to achieve them, that's the only way to get anywhere in this world. But occasionally a wrench gets thrown into even the most well oiled of machines, which is something Aubrey has been forcing herself to grudgingly admit since she was eighteen and the first wrench appeared. College wasn't about making friends, going to parties, partaking in activities or doing anything other than going to class, studying and getting into the law school. Try telling that to Chloe Beale. But Aubrey doesn't mind a little bit of wiggle room. She can adjust her plans enough to include the hurricane force that is her best friend and everything that comes along with her. Everything else was still on track, regardless of Chloe's intrusion: graduation, law school, law firm, partner. Perfect.

The second wrench made itself known junior year at Barden, when the Bellas finally made it to the Lincoln Center and the ICCA finals in New York City. And Chloe looked out the window of the hotel room the night before the finals and announced, "I could live here." The lights of the city flittered across her face and the cacophony of city life drifted up to their fourteenth floor room. And in that moment, Aubrey could tell that the seed had been planted.

Aubrey still isn't exactly sure when the seed was planted in her own mind. The idea that she didn't want to be (maybe even that she couldn't be) without Chloe. Her plans had managed to readjust themselves again without her even realizing it. She's never had a friend before and she's definitely never had a friend like Chloe. And that's something she's not willing to let out of her life. So senior year at Barden, her plans suddenly looked like: graduation, get an apartment with Chloe, law school, law firm, partner. Perfect. There was a hazy spot in the future, around "law firm" and "partner" that involved her still living in that apartment with Chloe and being perfectly happy for the rest of her life. Significant others, for either of them, never factored into her plans.

And suddenly, the biggest wrench of all. The one that upset the well-oiled machine enough to make it break down and sputter smoke and refuse to work right again. It came in the form of words that Aubrey hadn't even known that she was afraid of hearing. The possibility that Chloe didn't want to stay in Atlanta after graduation.

Everyone was in high spirits thanks to the first place trophy that suddenly belonged to the Bellas and Aubrey didn't even mind so much that the girls were drinking too much and raiding the mini-bar. Because they were the champions. They'd won. And she wouldn't have to leave Barden known as the girl who had blown under pressure. In the midst of the revelry and drinking games and less than harmonious singing, Chloe had suggested they take a walk, get some fresh air and take in the city, just the two of them. After the somewhat tenuous semester they'd had, Aubrey jumped at the chance to spend even a few moments alone with her best friend, who was so much more than those two words could ever accurately explain.

The city thrummed around them, filling Aubrey with sounds and smells and thoughts and vibrations and packed her so tightly that she felt like her body might burst at any moment. She'd felt buoyed by the things around her: the win at the ICCAs, the fact that she was here with Chloe, the knowledge that she would start the next stage of her life exactly how she wanted. Though that last idea was quickly shattered when Chloe said, "I want to live here" with the same certainty Aubrey had heard in voice a year ago. "I'm going to move here."

A part of Aubrey suspected that this plan, like many others that Chloe had expressed interest in over the past four years, would just fall by the wayside. Things would continue the way they always would and they would get their apartment together and Chloe would find a teaching job while Aubrey gave her all to law school and their nights would be spent together in their shared space, just like they always had been. But a part of her worried that this was the one plan that Chloe would see to fruition. And she would be alone, without her friend, without her anchor.

This worry was confirmed on the day after graduation when Chloe told her that she was moving to New York City, that she'd been applying for teaching jobs in Manhattan and while she hadn't had any luck, she'd gotten a call from someone looking for a nanny and she was ready to take the chance and start the next stage of her life, somewhere new. And Aubrey couldn't remember a time that she had ever felt so horrible. Because that was the bad part of opening yourself up to other people and putting yourself out there: you couldn't predict what other people were going to do. You could put them into your plans but there was no guarantee that they would allow themselves to stay there.

And then Chloe took her hands and said, "I want you to come with me Aubrey. We can get a place together in the city; it would be amazing. I can't see myself doing this with anyone else."

So no, this is not the place where Aubrey saw herself ending up. But, several months later, she has to admit that it's not completely horrible. She never saw herself as a big city person; Atlanta was enough hustle and bustle for her but New York City is a completely different beast. The apartment she shares with Chloe is so small that Aubrey sometimes marvels at how the designers fit two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen sink and stove into the space and it's so expensive that she's found herself eating ramen noodles for the first time in her life. And it's most definitely nothing like the plan she laid out for herself when she was eight years old and carefully plotting her life out. But it's so much better in a way because at least here she's not alone, at least here she has Chloe and everything that that entails. The longing, the enjoyment, the willingness to just let herself be swept away.

And things have, more or less, fallen into place. Chloe has traded her nannying job for a teaching one and Aubrey has traded her acceptance letter to the University of Georgia's law program for a late acceptance spot at Columbia. And some days, as she walks from her apartment to the subway and rides the subway to her classes, Aubrey feels like she's supposed to be here, like she belongs in the train and in this school and in this city with the rest of the people who call it home.

Evenings like this one make that particularly true. When the sun is starting to inch toward the west, bathing the city and the streets in a dusky glow that permeates the eaves and corners before the streetlights click on. Winter has settled over everything and the sidewalks are icy in places thanks to yesterday's rain and there are Christmas decorations in all the windows of the shops that she passes. And Christmas is still two weeks away and while Aubrey has never exactly been a holiday person, she feels herself slowly getting into the spirit thanks to Chloe and all of the winter and Christmas themed activities she's been forced to participate in recently. Chloe isn't going to be able to afford to go home for the holidays this year and while Aubrey knows this has caused her friend her fair share of teary phone calls with her parents, she feels selfishly pleased that they're going to be able to spend the holiday together in their tiny apartment in the big city.

Aubrey smiles to herself slightly at this idea as she continues to head toward home. Chloe is vivacious and outgoing and open and friendly and loud and charming and all of the things that Aubrey never saw in herself. And while Aubrey loves being dragged out to bars and restaurants and outings with her roommate, she also loves the moments when she gets to have Chloe all to herself. She craves those moments and savors each evening they spend splurging on takeout or every weekend afternoon they devote to sight seeing. Maybe tonight can be one such night. Aubrey doesn't have class the following day, so what better excuse to heat-up leftovers and buy a bottle of wine and just sit and be with Chloe?

However, it seems that the universe or fate or Chloe Beale have other ideas because almost as soon as this thought flits through Aubrey's head, her phone starts ringing in her pocket, interrupting her musings and pulling her back to the present. Aubrey can't keep the smile from her face when she sees Chloe's picture on the Caller ID.

"Bree!" Chloe all but shouts into her ear the second Aubrey answers the call, causing the blonde to wince. "Where are you?!"

Aubrey knows that tone well. She knows calls like this well. Even though it's barely pushing six o'clock, Chloe has clearly been over-served. Chloe under the influence of alcohol is an interesting experience because it seems to magnify all her already boisterous personality traits. And makes her more apt to shout everything apparently.

"I'm walking home from class." Aubrey tells her, barely managing to conceal her amusement. "Where are _you_."

Chloe laughs at something that Aubrey can't figure out and she can just barely make out the sounds of someone else talking in the background. Actually, there's quite a lot of chatter going on in the background, signaling that Chloe is in a public place and not drinking alone in their apartment. Which is probably for the best.

"Bree," Chloe's tone has taken on a slight whining tone and Aubrey smirks at the sudden change in her attitude, "where are you? You should come. I want you to come have a drink with me."

Aubrey rolls her eyes even though there's only anonymous passersby around to see the gesture. "It seems like you've had enough." She points out.

"Just one." Chloe protests and Aubrey can hear a chorus of voices in the background agreeing with this idea. She has never been able to figure out why drunk people are so excited by the idea of more people coming to join them in their consumption of alcohol. "Please. _Bree_."

"Fine." Aubrey shakes her head. "I need to go home and change first. I'm not exactly dressed to go out." She's currently wearing jeans and her old Barden sweatshirt, which is one of the few items in her closet that seems prepared to withstand the New York City winter.

Chloe makes a noise of protest. "No! Come now!" She commands. "I can't wait! _Please_!"

Aubrey scoffs. "Chloe-"

"You always look beautiful, Bree." Chloe assures her. "Don't waste time changing. Just come see me." Another muffled chorus seconds Chloe's request. "We're at that place I like that has the good French fries and karaoke. Okay, come now. Bye." And with that, Chloe hangs up, apparently confident in the fact that her request will be met.

Aubrey shakes her head in amusement as she puts her phone back into her pocket. There's really no reason why she shouldn't head straight to the bar; her school stuff fits neatly into the oversized bag that she's carrying and it's not like she intends on being out all night. It _would_ be closer to walk straight there than back to the apartment first. Chloe's easy and sincere compliment keeps repeating in her head: _you always look beautiful_. Aubrey is almost inclined to believe her. She didn't realize Chloe even noticed and she doesn't know why it matters.

So it's off to the place with the delicious fries and karaoke. Over the past several years, Aubrey has gotten very good at translating Chloe's vague comments and instructions. She knows exactly where to find her roommate.

When the owners had named their bar "Closing Time," they'd probably thought that they were being clever and original and while both of those things might be true, Aubrey has always hated going there because it gets that stupid 90's song stuck in her head for days afterward. And pretty much as soon as she sees the bar in front of her, the opening notes start to play through her mind and there's nothing she can do to chase them away. These are the things that she has to suffer through for her best friend.

Even though it's fairly early on a Friday evening, the bar is relatively full with a hodgepodge of people clearly just getting off work and a few people who probably never ended up there at all. Aubrey never tries to imagine the stories of the people who look like they're self-medicating instead of starting the weekend early because it's presumptuous and just depressing.

Chloe and her fellow teachers have taken up the biggest table in the middle of the dimly lit bar and as soon as Chloe sees her, she stands up so quickly that she tips her chair backward and almost goes with it. But Chloe hardly seems to notice. "Bree!" Several people in the bar turn in their direction and Aubrey feels a flush of embarrassment creep into her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're here!"

As soon as Aubrey gets within range, Chloe practically throws herself into her arms, hugging her tightly and nearly driving the breath out of Aubrey's lungs. She's definitely eager when she's been drinking. "Hi." Chloe says when she pulls away from the hug just enough to look Aubrey in the face. "I'm glad you're here." She says again, but softer this time.

Aubrey just nods because suddenly her mouth has gone dry. Because she feels like they're so close that if she moved even a centimeter in Chloe's direction, their lips might just barely…whoa…wait, what? If she didn't know any better, she'd think that Chloe wasn't the only one who'd been drinking because why else would she be thinking thoughts like that. It's definitely not normal to be thinking about kissing your best friend, especially when you're completely sober.

Chloe pulls away from Aubrey and grabs her hand, pulling her over toward the table. She rattles off a list of names that Aubrey knows only through work stories that Chloe has told her and while Aubrey tries to keep everyone straight, she knows that there's no way that's going to happen right now. Chloe drags another chair over to the table and wedges it in-between two other chairs even though there's really no space. Not that Aubrey minds, seeing as she didn't come all the way over here to sit on the opposite side of the table from Chloe.

"What do you want to drink?" Chloe questions, smiling brightly at Aubrey. "Oh! We should do shots!"

Aubrey grimaces. "I don't think that's a good idea, Chlo." She informs her friend. "I think you should pay your tab and come home with me."

Chloe pouts. "No!" She protests. "You said you were going to have one drink with me!"

"Yeah, just one." The guy sitting on Chloe's other side agrees and even though he doesn't seem as drunk as Chloe, he doesn't seem to have a problem with the idea of her drinking even more. He puts a hand on Chloe's shoulder and smiles at her. "It's finally the weekend. We need to celebrate."

For some reason, Aubrey feels a flash of jealousy cut through her chest. She forces it aside before it can bloom into something that she doesn't really want to analyze right now. "It seems like you guys have definitely been celebrating." She says curtly.

But Chloe misses the tone in her voice and just nods. "Yes, the weekend is definitely worth celebrating." She says with a thoughtful look on her face. "That's why you need a drink Bree and I need a drink and we need to have fun."

"Cheers to that!" The guy raises his half empty beer glass in Chloe's direction before finishing the rest of the contents in one swallow.

Aubrey purses her lips. "Fine. One drink."

She goes to the bar and orders a dirty martini for herself and a rum and Coke for Chloe, even though she really doubts that Chloe needs another one, and as she waits for the bartender to fill the order, Aubrey glances over her shoulder to see what her intoxicated roommate is up to. She's talking to the guy, whose name is Caleb if her memory serves, and laughing at something that he's said. Caleb's hand is on Chloe's knee and she doesn't seem bothered by this fact at all. In fact, the only one seemingly bothered by the whole thing is Aubrey. And she doesn't know why.

Aubrey takes the drinks back to the table and feels a small hint of victory when Chloe abruptly turns away from Caleb to give Aubrey all her attention. "You brought me a drink!" Chloe trills as though she hadn't requested for this very thing to happen. "You're the best." She scoots her chair closer to Aubrey's and manages to lay her head on the blonde's shoulder without spilling both of their drinks.

Aubrey smiles and pats Chloe on the back. "How many drinks have you had exactly?" She questions, slightly amused by her friend's behavior.

Chloe shrugs, sitting up and blinking quickly in an attempt to orient herself to the change in position. "Um…" She stirs the ice in her glass with the thin straw. "Many. I think." Aubrey smirks and Chloe's eyes get wide. "I really didn't mean to drink so much, Bree. I'm sorry." She shakes her head. "We just went out to dinner and then Jenny said we should get a few drinks and…it just happened. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Aubrey assures her. "I'm going to get you some water too, maybe we can stop that hangover from being too horrible." She's definitely had her fair share of experiences with Chloe's hangovers and watching her friend spend her Saturday suffering isn't on her list of things to do.

Aubrey goes back to the bar and returns with the glass of water before Caleb can take advantage of her absence. Chloe's face brightens when Aubrey hands her the water. "Bree! You're the best!" She takes a sip of the water and then sets it on the table, where Aubrey knows it will remain abandoned because apparently for drunk people water is kryptonite. Chloe grabs Aubrey's hands and tugs Aubrey closer to her. "You always take such good care of me."

They're close enough together to make Aubrey's thoughts start wandering again and she's slightly embarrassed by the way her heart is hammering in her chest. What is happening to her? What is Chloe doing to her?

"What would I do without you?" Chloe questions and Aubrey can smell the heady scent of alcohol on her breath. "I love you Aubrey. I'm so happy you're here."

Aubrey forces a smile onto her face even though she's currently distracted by other things. "I love you too." She says hoarsely, giving Chloe's hands a squeeze.

And just as suddenly as the moment started, it's over and Chloe is pulling her hands away, grabbing her drink off the table and grinning at Aubrey. "We should do this more often." She informs her friend. "This is fun."

Aubrey scoffs and takes a sip of her own drink. "We can't afford to do this more often." She reminds.

Chloe waves her hand dismissively. "Don't worry so much Bree." She chides. "Just have fun."

"I am having fun." Aubrey says defensively. "I always have fun with you." She adds, feeling a bit ridiculous for throwing that in. Even if it's the truth.

Chloe smiles at her. "I always have fun with you too, Bree." She reaches for her hand again. "You're my favorite."

Aubrey grins and feels a pleasant warmth creep through her body. Favorite. Yeah, she can live with that. She's never been anyone's favorite before.

Chloe takes another sip of her drink, humming contentedly to herself. Aubrey listens to the chatter and noise around her, feeling strangely lulled by the cacophony of sounds.

The jukebox starts playing some old Lonestar song and Caleb smiles at Chloe, getting to his feet. "I think you should come dance with me." He suggests, holding his hand out to her. Chloe laughs at him but shakes her head slightly, continuing to sip on her drink. "Come on," Caleb pleads, grin still in place, "come dance with me, Miss Beale. You're a Southern girl right? Isn't this like, the music of your people? You have to dance with me."

Chloe rolls her eyes but puts her drink on the table, taking his hand and letting Caleb pull her to her feet. He puts a hand on the small of her back when she wobbles slightly. And he keeps it there, even though it looks to Aubrey like Chloe is walking perfectly fine on her own.

Aubrey purses her lips and stares down into her drink, spearing the olive with the straw. She's seen Chloe dance with other people before; hell, she's even heard all about Chloe's various college flings. So why does she feel like she wants to kick over her chair and storm out of the bar?

Even though she knows she should just focus on finishing her drink so they can leave, Aubrey can't help but let her eyes wander over to where Chloe and Caleb are one of few couples on the makeshift dance floor. Caleb is holding Chloe closer than the tempo of the song necessitates and one hand is resting quite comfortably on her hip. Aubrey purses her lips, trying to force down the feels clawing their way to the surface. It doesn't matter. Why should this matter? Chloe is her best friend and friends should not be this upset when the see their friend dancing with some guy. But, to be honest, she hasn't felt this way since Aca-Initiation Night when she saw Chloe with Beca. But that was just because it was Beca Mitchell, not because of any other reason…of course.

Caleb spins Chloe and then dips her backward and she tilts her head back and laughs, her hair spilling down her shoulders and her eyes closed. She looks so beautiful, so relaxed, so…Chloe that Aubrey wants to be the one holding her close while they dance and making her laugh and smile like that. But they're friends and…ah screw it. These are definitely not just best friend like thoughts.

And while Aubrey doesn't expect to do anything with these feelings, that doesn't mean that she has to sit here and watch some guy flirting with her obviously intoxicated best friend. Aubrey puts her drink down and picks up her bag and Chloe's, walking over to where Chloe and Caleb are standing. The song has ended and Chloe has untangled herself from Caleb's arms but it's clear that he's trying to talk her into dancing to a Tom Petty song.

"Chlo, let's go." Aubrey says, wishing that her voice didn't sound so edgy. She doesn't want to turn this into something it's not, she just wants to go back to the apartment. "Are you ready?"

Despite Aubrey's best efforts, Chloe picks up on the tone of her voice right away. "What's wrong, Bree?" Her brow furrows with concern.

"Nothing." Aubrey assures her. "I just think it's time to go. You said one more drink, we had one more drink. So let's go home and order takeout."

"That's no fun." Caleb protests, putting a hand on Chloe's back once more. "It's a Friday night. You should be out with your friends. Both of you guys just stay here."

Aubrey frowns at him, trying not to admit that she's slightly stung by his words and what they imply. Is she not Chloe's friend too? Should she also not get a say in their Friday night activities?

Chloe smiles at Caleb and Aubrey thinks that she might be alone in her desire to go home. But then she just shakes her head. "I should probably stop drinking." Chloe informs him. "I think I'm drunk."

Aubrey laughs slightly because…obviously. But it would be useless to point this out to Chloe. Chloe takes a step away from Caleb and his hand falls off her back. "I'll see you Monday, okay?"

Caleb looks disappointed but his protests fall on deaf ears. Chloe takes another ten minutes to wish all of her coworkers goodbye because it seems like there's always one more hug to give or someone else she needs to say goodbye to (including the bartender). But finally Aubrey drags Chloe through the front doors and into the chilly evening air.

Apparently Aubrey isn't the only one who can't get that old Semisonic song out of her head whenever they go to this particular bar because five seconds after they step out of the front doors, Chloe is suddenly belting out the words to the chorus at the top of her voice.

A few heads turn in their direction but it's New York City so no one really pays Chloe much attention. Weirder things have been witnessed. But Aubrey still tries to quiet her anyway. "Chloe, shhh." Aubrey laughs, poking her friend in the side. "Quiet."

But Chloe just ignores her. "_I know who I want to take me home_!" She sings loudly but not horribly because even drunk Chloe can still sing better than most people Aubrey knows. "_I know who I want to take me home, take me home_…"

Aubrey pokes her in the side once more and Chloe dissolves into giggles, leaning heavily against Aubrey. Aubrey puts her arm around Chloe in order to make it easier to support them both.

Chloe looks up at her and smiles, her cheeks flushed with alcohol and the chill in the air. "I know who I want to take me home." She informs Aubrey frankly. "You."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "I am." She laughs. But her heart still flutters in her chest anyway.

Chloe abruptly starts walking and Aubrey nearly stumbles. "I mean it." She says, her tone serious in the way that can only happen if you've had too much to drink. She grabs Aubrey's hands and holds them tightly. "I'm serious."

Aubrey just nods. "Okay." She says because she has the feeling that's the only thing that's going to get them walking again and she's getting cold and is ready to be back home. "I believe you."

This seems to satisfy Chloe enough to get her to start walking again. Sporadically throughout the journey back to their apartment, Chloe announces to passersby that Aubrey is her best friend or that she loves New York City or that she's happy it's almost Christmas or offers some comment on their attire. It's a lot harder for Aubrey to continue pulling Chloe down the street if they pass anyone with a dog or a child with them. Aubrey tries to hide a smile as she apologizes to the victims of Chloe's attentions.

"Aubrey," Chloe sighs heavily as they near their apartment building. She's kept one hand tightly in Aubrey's the entire time, regardless of what else has captured her attention and Aubrey hasn't found it in herself to mind. "I think I'm drunk."

Smirking, Aubrey just nods. "Yeah, Chlo, I think you are."

"When did I get so drunk?" Chloe wonders thoughtfully, pursing her lips. "How did I get so drunk?" Aubrey's only response is to laugh.

Chloe bumps her hip into Aubrey's, laying her head against Aubrey's shoulder so that her breath is hot against Aubrey's neck. She can't help but shiver against the sensation, hearing the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. "My Aubrey," Chloe whispers contentedly, "I'm so glad you're here."

_Me too_, Aubrey thinks. But she can't quite catch her voice at the moment.

It takes a while to get up the flights of stairs to their apartment because Chloe keeps laughing about the idea of stairs in general and "who invented them in the first place anyway, Bree?" but they finally make it and Aubrey unlocks the door and Chloe stumbles over to the couch and face plants onto the cushions. Aubrey shakes her head and goes into the kitchen, getting Chloe a glass of ice water and tugging her friend into a sitting position, pushing the glass into her hands. "Drink this." She sits down on the edge of the coffee table so she can supervise.

"Bree, I need to-" Chloe starts but Aubrey quickly cuts her off.

"I'm never talking to you again unless you drink this glass of water." Aubrey informs her. It's a completely ridiculous threat but one that an intoxicated Chloe clearly finds frightening.

Chloe drinks the entire glass of water and looks proud of herself when she hands the empty cup back to Aubrey. "Water is so good." She tells her. "Have you ever thought about that? It's just so…good."

Aubrey nods. "Yeah, it is." She agrees, humoring her and trying to keep the smile off her face.

Chloe leans closer to Aubrey, wobbling slightly. "Thank you." She says sincerely. "You always take such good care of me. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You don't have to worry about that." Aubrey assures her. "I'm here." The only place she can ever imagine being is with Chloe, wherever _here_ happens to be.

Chloe nods. "I know. I was…I didn't want to move here without you. I couldn't imagine New York without you. Or anywhere without you. I was so happy when you said yes."

Aubrey smiles at her, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm glad I said yes too." She tells Chloe. "I would miss you too much. You're my best friend."

"I don't want to be your friend Aubrey." Chloe says suddenly and Aubrey blinks at her in surprise, trying to figure out how this conversation suddenly got to twisted. "I mean, I do. But I want to be more than that. I can't stop thinking about you. It's part of why I asked you to move here with me. To see if maybe I wasn't crazy. If maybe you thought the same things I did."

Aubrey feels her throat go dry and her heart start pounding in her chest once more. Because it's not until she hears Chloe say the words out loud that she realizes how badly she wants them to be true. "Chloe," she says, her voice scratchy, "I don't think now is-"

But Chloe cuts her off. "I always feel this way." She assures her. "I just want you to know. You know that I love you; you're my best friend. But I think I'm falling in love with you too. I think about kissing you."

Aubrey's breath hitches in her throat. "We shouldn't talk about this now-"

Much to Aubrey's surprise, Chloe leans forward, pressing their lips together. Apparently she's had enough of just thinking about it. The kiss is soft, hesitant, questioning. Aubrey parts her lips slightly, answering Chloe's unspoken question and she can taste the rum on Chloe's tongue and it brings her back to reality.

Aubrey pulls away, pursing her lips and turning her head away from Chloe. Her cheeks are hot and her heart is pounding and her lips are protesting this decision. "I don't think we should." She says softly. "You've been drinking and I…" _I don't know if I could handle it in the morning if this was just because of you being drunk_.

Chloe nods, running the tip of her tongue across her lips. "Okay. But I'm still going to want to kiss you in the morning."

Aubrey feels too vulnerable when she whispers, "I hope so."

But, as it turns out, the only thing that Chloe wants to do in the morning is alternate between puking in the toilet and moaning about how much she hates her life and how she can't believe she drank so much the night before. And, despite Aubrey's best efforts, she finds herself taking care of her hung over friend, bringing her water and Advil and rubbing her back as she throws up. It's the least she can do, after all the times Chloe did the same thing for her.

"This is awful." Chloe groans as she lays back down in bed, pulling her pillow over her head. "Why did I think that was a good idea? I was drunk at like six thirty on a Friday. How embarrassing." She mutters into the fabric of her pillow.

Aubrey sits down on the bed beside her, propping herself up against Chloe's headboard. "It's okay, Chlo." She says in as comforting a tone as she can muster.

Chloe peers at her from over the edge of the pillow. "Did I do anything else embarrassing?" She questions tentatively. "Everything is kind of a blur. I barely even remember coming home last night. How did I get so drunk?" She mutters, echoing her question from the night before.

"Well," Aubrey says, "you were drinking rum-" Chloe makes a retching sound and Aubrey wisely falls silent.

And, to be honest, Aubrey isn't in a very talkative mood. Chloe's words have pretty much confirmed the exact thing she was afraid of, the thing that she worried would happen if she opened herself up to Chloe and her words and her touch the night before. A part of her had known that in the morning, everything would be exactly the way that it always had been. Only worse because now she's heard Chloe say the words she didn't even realize she'd been wanting to hear for so long. Not to mention the fact that she knows what it's like to kiss this person who is supposed to be her best friend but all Aubrey wants is to do it again. And Chloe doesn't remember any of the moments that are currently running through Aubrey's mind on repeat.

Chloe groans, pulling the pillow over her head again. "Just let me die." She pleads. She reaches out blindly until she finds Aubrey's hand. "Thank you for taking good care of me. And for bringing me home last night and putting up with my drunk ass. I hope I wasn't too horrible."

Aubrey forces a smile even though she knows that Chloe can't see her. _Time to shake it off, Posen_. She chides herself. There's no point in dwelling. Last night was obviously a fluke, something she never should have experienced in the first place, however brief an experience it was. She shouldn't let herself get hung up on wanting more than that. She just needs to let things go back to normal between her and Chloe; what other choice does she have?

"Well, you did keep talking to strangers on the street." Aubrey informs her in an effort to go back to that normalcy. "And I think you probably pet fifteen children and dogs."

Chloe peeks at her from underneath the pillow again. "Children?"

"And you were serenading everyone with that 'Closing Time' song." Aubrey continues. "Which was a highlight in my opinion."

Aubrey can feel Chloe stiffen on the bed next to her and she wonders if the redhead is about to make another mad dash to the bathroom. When she moves to pillow off her face, she does look pale but she makes no effort to leave the bed.

"Oh my God," Chloe says softly, "please tell me I am not remembering this right. Please tell me I didn't…" She trails off, unable to bring herself to even say the words.

Aubrey knows right away what she's talking about, though she can't say how she's struck with such certainty. The look on Chloe's face says it all. She's remembering the kiss, the confession, all of it. And she looks horrified.

Quickly, Aubrey turns away so Chloe can't see the color creep into her cheeks. Chloe knows her well enough that one look in her eyes will betray exactly how Aubrey is feeling at the moment. Which is, to say, shitty.

"It's really fine." Aubrey mutters. "Don't worry about it. We don't need to talk about it or anything." She's not sure she could handle Chloe's _you know I love you Aubrey, but just not like that_ with the implied _how could you think that I could? _"Water under the bridge."

Chloe pushes the pillow aside and sits up slowly, taking a minute to adjust to being upright. "Aubrey. Look at me." She reaches for her hand when Aubrey keeps her gaze turned downward. "Listen…" Chloe swallows, taking a deep breath. "Everything I said last…"

Aubrey closes her eyes, drawing in a breath. "It's fine Chloe." She says softly. "Just…please…"

"Look, I meant everything I said last night." Chloe blurts out and Aubrey looks up at her in surprise. "I just…I never meant to tell you like that. I…I can't believe I said all that stuff when I was drunk." She moans. "My drunk self always ruins everything. Thanks a lot self."

Aubrey can't help but regard Chloe skeptically. "What do you mean you meant everything?"

Chloe sits up a little straighter, laboriously inching herself closer to Aubrey. It would also be nice not to be hung over and feeling shitty for this but the course of love never did run smooth as they say. At least, she thinks that's what they say anyway. "The reason I asked you to move with me was because I couldn't imagine my life without you. I didn't want to stay in Atlanta anymore but I didn't want to leave you either. I thought maybe I could be selfish and have everything…and I guess I lucked out because you agreed to just drop everything and move here and I thought maybe it was because I wasn't the only one who was feeling…like this but I was always too afraid to say anything because I didn't want to ruin things between us and-"

Aubrey leans forward and kisses Chloe, pushing her backward against the mountain of pillows she'd made for herself earlier. Chloe makes a noise of surprise but she quickly relaxes underneath Aubrey, reaching up and curling her hand around the back of her neck. When Chloe pulls away to catch her breath, Aubrey presses her lips against Chloe's neck, kissing down the curve of her jaw and the spot below her ear that makes Chloe shudder.

"If I had known this was how you were going to react, I wouldn't have dragged this out for so long." Chloe remarks, her breath hitching in her throat as Aubrey nips gently at her skin. "See, this is why I'm usually impulsive. I usually don't talk myself out of things and-"

Aubrey lifts her head, smirking at Chloe as she rolls her eyes. "Stop talking and kiss me."

Chloe smirks. "Good to know what you're bossy in all aspects of your life." She remarks.

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "I prefer to think of it as having a plan and achieving those goals."

"So this was all part of your plan?" Chloe questions, slightly surprised by this idea.

Aubrey shakes her head. "No. But I'm good at adjusting. And thinking on my feet."

But right now, she's tired of thinking and so she just kisses Chloe again and all her thoughts begin and end with that perfect moment.

**end. **


End file.
